Wind River Tinkers on Android for Kyocera

Kyocera Wireless Corporation (KWC) uses Android software for its own mobile platform. The embedded Linux firm Wind River has engaged itself as an integrator.

Wind River will be adapting Android for KWC, above all in terms of middleware and user interface. The California neighbors will also be sharing further technologies in their integration. With Android, Kyocera wants to be a step ahead of other device vendors, according to Wind River's announcement, with the partner companies attempting to bridge the communications market with the multimedia market.

Kyocera of Japan founded its KWC subsidiary in 2000 after it acquired Qualcomm. Like Qualcomm, KWC specializes in the Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology. CDMA uses a spread-spectrum technology allowing transmission of different data over the same frequency that is used, for example, in UMTS mobile phones. The Open Handset Alliance considers Wind River one of its commercialization partners. The alliance consists of 34 companies that include mobile service providers, mobile device vendors, and semiconductor and software firms and promotes commercialization of their products. This past February Wind River ported Android onto an NEC 3G chip.

Google's Android system for mobile platforms works on a Linux kernel and has only recently become Open Source. Google rededicated its erstwhile Gphone as Android back in November 2007.

The leading hardware and software vendors are currently meeting at the world’s largest mobile-specific Open Source conference to network about the future of the industry. Linux Magazine Online is there to present news on the progress.